Seven Decades Of Pakistan-US Strategic Relations – OpEd

The relationship between Pakistan and the United States spans seven decades. Pakistan, which came into being after the partition in 1947, signed number of defense and economic agreements with the United States. Being in the Western bloc, Pakistan’s association with the Islamic brotherhood countries and the neighboring country China in a strong relationship of friendship was a natural thing and a requirement of mutual interests was not part of an alliance against any other country. Rather, Islamabad-Beijing friendship became a means of establishing contacts between the United States and China. Washington-Islamabad Friendship, despite ups and downs, is the kind of companionship that remains between friends despite good and bad moods.

The entire world is currently in the transitional phase as the dogmatic realm of the world is altering swiftly. Numerous republics are reconsidering their coalitions. What President Biden said that Pakistan is a dangerous nuclear state is not worthy of comment because if the American president and his subordinates had first looked at the records of their own and their allies’ nuclear assets, it would be far-fetched to blame Pakistan in this regard.

First, let’s talk about the Cold War period from 1950 to 1968. In this period, 9 warheads of the United States were missing, of which no news could be found till today, where they went, where they were sent, and to whom they were given. If anyone read the White House’s 2010 “Study on Energy Accidents”, one may know that at least 56 nuclear reactor accidents have occurred in President Biden’s own country. Has the country forgotten the worst “Three Mile Island” accident involving nuclear warheads in 1979? The President of the United States should be asked who is responsible for the February 14, 1950 crash of an American Convair B-36B, serial number 44-92075, which was commanded by the 7th Bombardment Wing at Carswell Air Force Base, crashed in Northern British Columbia. Dozens of examples can be given of the insecurity of the nuclear assets of the United States and India, after which everyone will cry that if the nuclear assets of a country have become a threat and a burden to the world, then they should protect the United States and its allies are India’s nuclear assets. The ambassador of Cuba in Pakistan has said in this regard that the world knows very well which country has a nuclear attack on two cities of the world. 

While having a look at the India’s unsafe nuclear assets, on July 7, 2018, five Indian citizens were arrested from the city of Kolkata, India, who had recovered one kilogram of uranium from their possession. The investigation revealed that the deal of this uranium was settled with a third party for Rs 3 crore in Indian currency and this one kg uranium was kept in two yellow colored packets. Ravi Kumar Gupta, a senior scientist from India’s Defense Research and Development Organization, admitted in an interview with Indian TV channel NewsX that it was pure uranium, which the Indian police were trying to hide from the world. In the words of Ravi Kumar: Even low-grade uranium can be used as a toxin.

Nepali police and security forces raided a place on a tip-off and recovered two and a half kilograms of raw uranium on the evening of March 12, 2021. Upon investigation, it was found that this uranium was smuggled from India. A woman among the arrested said that her father-in-law has been working in a nuclear power plant in India for the past twenty years, and he has provided this uranium. On May 8, 2021, the Intelligence Department of the Anti-Terrorism Wing of the Maharashtra Police in India arrested two persons named Jigar Jaysh Pandya and Afzal Chaudhary from the suburbs of Mumbai, from whose possession seven kilograms and one hundred grams of natural uranium were recovered. The price in the market was said to be 21 crore Indian rupees. 

While viewing the kind of security and management arrangements that Pakistan has adopted for the protection of its nuclear assets, it can be said with certainty that none of the largest countries with nuclear capabilities currently have these arrangements. But despite this, America and the West continue to make rhetoric about Pakistan’s nuclear assets. Isn’t it surprising for the media and information institutions around the world that despite their new stories every day, Pakistan has a unique privilege that no other nuclear state has that Pakistan is the only nuclear country with zero incidents of mishap. Any attempt to breach the system will be handled by a nation united with resolve and the state will protect its strategic assets with full might. Any plans to capture or secure will not be tolerated by the nation. In the end, I must say that US has shot herself in the foot and damaged her efforts to create goodwill with the Pakistani masses as the nation has shown a united stance on the issue. 

*Sehrish Khan is a freelancer and media activist. She writes on political developments and security issues with special focus on South Asia and the region.